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Today I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's and young adult books and raising readers. There are 1768 subscribers. I send out the newsletter once every two weeks. 

Newsletter Update: In this issue I have four book reviews (three picture books and one for middle school age). I also have a post about National Literacy Day and the Scholastic SPOTLIT collection, one about WordGirl's word of the month for November, and one with links that I shared on Twitter.

Not included in the newsletter, I have three posts about a conference that I both attended and helped to organize last weekend (the Kidlitosphere Conference, aka KidLitCon):

• A final post published prior to KidLitCon;
• A general recap of KidLitCon (with photos and links to other people's recaps); and
• A detailed recap of my session with Sarah Stevenson on overcoming blogger burnout. 

Reading Update: In the last two weeks I read two middle grade/middle school books, one young adult title, and one adult mystery. I read:

• Rick Riordan: The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus, Book 4). Disney-Hyperion. Middle Grade / Middle School. Completed November 5, 2013, on MP3. I don't review audiobooks, but I did enjoy this one. 
• Peggy Eddleman: Sky Jumpers. Random House Books for Young Readers. Middle Grade. Completed November 6, 2013. Review to come.
• Robin Benway: Also Known As. Walker Children's. Young Adult Fiction. Completed November 10, 2013. Review to come.
• Julia Spencer-Fleming: Through the Evil Days (A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery). Minotaur Books. Adult Mystery. Completed November 10, 2013. A highly suspenseful installment of this series, one that finds all of the major characters facing important personal and professional decisions/deadlines. A perfect winter read, with Russ and Clare spending much of the book stranded by a major storm.

I'm listening to Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson, and reading Sunny Sweet is So Not Sorry by Jennifer Ann Mann (which I picked up at KidLitCon). I also have Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller and Susan Kellley on my nightstand, though I haven't had a chance to really start it.  

Baby Bookworm is reading Back to Bed, Ed! by Sebastien Braun. More on that next week (sigh! sleep problems). We received a box of winter/holiday-themed books from HarperCollins this week, and she is particularly excited about the Pinkalicious Cupcake Cookbook and Charlie the Ranch Dog : Charlie's Snowy Day (an early reader).

She insisted that her babysitter read aloud to her from the cupcake book immediately, though this isn't normally what one does with recipe books. And about the Charlie the Ranch Dog book, before we had even finished it she said: "Let's read this one every day until Christmas, and then on Christmas." It's not even a Christmas book, but ok... Whatever keeps her excited about books. 

Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms. 

© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

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• Growing Bookworms Newsletter: October 2

Book: Charlie Goes to School
Author: Ree Drummond (@ThePioneerWoman)
Illustrator: Diane deGroat
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8

I like Ree Drummond's series about lazy ranch dog Charlie (see my previous reviews of Charlie the Ranch Dog and Charlie and the Christmas Kitty). In the newest installment, Charlie maintains his self-deceptive laziness ("I'm helping, of course" as he snoozes away near a project) as the ranch family begins their new school year. There's not actually much in the way of plot to Charlie Goes to School. It's more of an introduction to the joys of homeschooling, on top of the recurring gag of Charlie's self-absorption.   

Still, considering the vast number of picture books that take place in traditional schools, it's nice to see one dedicated to homeschooling. The text is matter-of-fact, without getting into any reasons why one might homeschool. Just:

"Lots of kids go to school at school, and lots of kids go to school at home."

The focus remains on Charlie, of course, rather than on the kids, but we still get a look at reading time, creative math (subtraction via animal crackers) and recess. And when Charlie decides to homeschool the other animals on the ranch, gentle laughs are had by all. 

Drummond's text and Diane deGroat's illustrations are tightly coupled here, with the whole story only apparent when both are considered together. Like this:

"Kitty Kitty needs to practice his math. Numbers are very important when it comes to counting food." (Picture of Kitty knocking animal crackers on the floor.) "DON'T PLAY, KITTY KITTY. COUNT!"

or 

"The ranch horses need to brush up on their history." (Picture of a horse attempting to lift a book with his mouth.) "EXCUSE ME! BOOKS AREN'T FOR EATING!"

Charlie's melodrama when talking with the other animals should make this a fun read-aloud. I could see "EXCUSE ME! BOOKS AREN'T FOR EATING!" becoming a household catchphrase in our home. Fans of Charlie the Ranch Dog will certainly want to take a look at Charlie Goes to School. Homeschooling families will also want to check this one out (making it a recommended purchase for public libraries). 

Publisher:  HarperCollins (@HarperChildrens) 
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

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© 2013 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. You can also follow me @JensBookPage or at my Growing Bookworms page on Facebook. 

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